Sitaram Kunte appointed as new Maharashtra chief secretary

Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sitaram Kunte has been appointed as the chief secretary of Maharashtra on Saturday

Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sitaram Kunte has been appointed as the chief secretary of Maharashtra on Saturday. Kunte, who belongs to the 1985 batch, was serving as the additional chief secretary (home).

Sitaram Kunte. (Hindustan Times)

Kunte, who has graduated in economics and studied statistic and management, has 26 years of experience in handling public administration.

In his career, Kunte has held several key posts in the Maharashtra government. His most known tenure was municipal commissioner of Mumbai between 2012-15. He has handled finance, planning and environment departments among others.

He has also served as the managing director of the Maharastra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

Kunte faced controversy during his tenure as Mumbai civic chief over the development plan (DP) 2034, which was ridden with errors when released in 2015.

Kunte was in the zone of consideration when Sanjay Kumar was appointed as chief secretary in June last year. Kumar is set to retire on February 28.

Kunte was believed to be the top contender for the post after his batchmate Praveen Pardeshi, took up responsibility as a global program coordinator at the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITR) in Geneva, Switzerland in August last year.